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So you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been … scarce … of late. Well, let’s be honest, for a few months now. So the excuses include craziness at work, overwhelmingness of study, fatigue related to both of these, and, well, life. I am planning on getting back into the swing of things soon, but I also have an exciting treat for you – a guest review from a great friend of mine who also loves to read, and is awesome at putting her thoughts on books into words. So, here it is!

Goodreads link

SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5 by Kurt Vonnegut

First Published 1969

Stars: 5/5

A masterpiece. This book will take you a step closer to the meaning of life.

Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5 follows the journey of hapless American Optometrist Billy Pilgrim as he becomes entangled in the events of WW2 as a chaplain’s assistant.

However, this is a war story unlike you have ever encountered before. The absurdity of war and the horrors that Billy witnesses result in him becoming at least partially unhinged- and his life thereafter is punctuated by episodes of time-travel and alien encounters. The story concludes with the Dresden bombings as WW2 draws to a close.

Only a brilliant novelist could weave these elements into a work that is simultaneously so deep yet so consistently amusing and easy to read. Vonnegut brings hilarity to the gruesome theatre of war in Europe. Not something that would work in the hands of one less skilled.

Apart from being an enjoyable satire and a rather unconventional science fiction, make no mistake, this novel pulls some big political punches, especially when you consider it was first published in 1969 North America:

“I have told my sons that they are not under any circumstances to take part in massacres, and that the news of massacres of enemies is not to fill them with satisfaction or glee. I have also told them not to work for companies which make massacre machinery, and to express contempt for people who think we need machinery like that” p24.

This paragraph would undoubtedly be as screamingly relevant right now in November 2014 as it was when it was first written, given the current global conflicts we are faced with, and the gun control debate that rages in the United States.

Overall, this novel is well worth the small effort involved in reading it.

Working as a lady’s companion, the heroine of Rebecca learns her place. Her future looks bleak until, on a trip to the South of France, she meets Max de Winter, a handsome widower whose sudden proposal of marriage takes her by surprise. She accepts, but whisked from glamorous Monte Carlo to the ominous and brooding Manderley, the new Mrs de Winter finds Max a changed man. And the memory of his dead wife Rebecca is forever kept alive by the forbidding housekeeper, Mrs Danvers…

A haunting tale of love, and living in someone’s shadow.

Our heroine first meets Max de Winter when she is working as a companion to a social-climbing busy body. She is wowed by him, and, it appears, he by her. They get married, and the difficulties in her life begin. Mrs Danvers… Oh lord. Everyone at Manderley seems to want to make life difficult for her, and to slowly chip away at her self-worth, and confidence that Max loves her. The house – and everyone in it – is filled with secrets. Everyone has their own agenda, and aren’t afraid of stepping on Mrs de Winter. And the whole book… totally creepy. I felt haunted by Rebecca myself! Didn’t help that everyone other than Max seemed to be doing their best to keep her alive.

This is a dark and heavy book, and I’m totally not sure I completely absorbed it. I feel like this one is best savoured, and read over and over to really experience it. When reading, I could feel there were twists coming. Though I’m not sure I’d even say twists, it felt more like secrets slowly being unearthed. You feel the depth of the characters and the plot. There is so much beneath the surface of this book. The house is a character all of its own, and the writing – I felt like I was there. The chill drafts of a huge old mansion (not that I have ANY experience in ancient mansions, but you know. I was transported and all that.) The sea. The fear of being overshadowed by your predecessor. The fear you’ll be found lacking. Or worse, found out as an imposter. du Maurier had me there, experiencing it all, totally absorbed.

The ending, well more the resolution of questions rather than the actual end of the book, I have to say I didn’t expect. I anticipated it going in a very different direction. Though possibly that’s more me being a product of the times, and obviously, being written in the 1930s, the times were very different.

This is the only book by Daphne du Maurier that I’ve read, and to be honest I loved it so much that I’m not sure I want to read any more of hers. Total fear of being let down! Have you experienced that? A book you found so brilliant that the thought of reading another of the authors’ books just might shatter you?

A+

Absolutely. I can’t believe I waited so long to read this one. Sad, dark, haunting, brilliant.

Despite the tumour-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

A touching story of living life to the fullest when all is uncertain.

Hazel is dying. She has thyroid cancer with lung mets. And she’s living as though it’s over already. Then one day she meets Augustus at her support group, and suddenly life is worth living. They are the kids at school that you want to have been friends with. The alternative-type, honest, just livin-their-own-life-with-no-concern-for-anyone-else type. As they get to know each other and we get to know them, I just grew to love them. And it sucks. Cancer sucks. Full stop. But this is a book that doesn’t focus on the whole cancer-teenager-dying thing, while still focusing on it. The focus is on living with cancer, not necessarily just dying of it.

I really liked this book. Really really liked. John Green’s writing is simple, clean, humorous and insightful. He writes with innocence, while showing us the depth behind the characters.

**SPOILER ALERT**

But what would a cancer book be without a relapse? So of course there it is. And time is short. So Hazel and Augustus try to make as much of the time they have as they can. And it’s sweet. I also think it was necessary to the story. This is a story about cancer, living with, dying of, grieving and moving past.

A+ – This book is AMAZING. It totally blew me away!

DEFINITELY! You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll question your own life choices. Maybe don’t read it on the train… and keep the tissues close.

Sarah Nickerson has it all: the high-flying career, the loving family, the second home. But between excelling at work; shuttling the kids to football, day care, and piano lessons; convincing her son’s teacher that he may not, in fact, have ADD; and making it home in time for dinner, it’s a wonder this over-scheduled over-achiever has time to breathe.

Sarah manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller, until one fateful day, while driving to work, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, her chaotic life comes to a screeching halt. A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world. For once, Sarah must relinquish control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. As she wills herself to heal, Sarah must learn that a happiness greater than all the success in the world is close within reach, if only she slows down long enough to notice.

An insightful and sometimes frustrating look into the effects of a brain injury on both patient and family.

Sarah Nickerson is a high powered wife and mother. Every minute is scheduled. Double booked even. No rest for the wicked and all that. Make all the monies. You know. Long days, minimal sleep, the last time she had an afternoon of rest and relaxation was…. never. Firstly, let me just say – not my kinda life. I could maybe uphold that for… 3 weeks? A month? That aside, after Sarah has a car accident, she winds up with left neglect. Which effectively means that she forgets her whole left side exists.

We follow Sarah as she struggles to come to terms with her new normal, and at the same time her son is struggling with how to manage his ADD. Her life has changed dramatically, and as much as she works and pushes her rehab, there comes a point where she just isn’t going to get any better. Then comes the mental struggle. Chuck her mother in the mix and you’ve found Sarah’s hell.

I really enjoyed Left Neglected, seeing Sarah improve, and deal with her mental struggles – like if she keeps forgetting she has a left leg, how is she ever going to ski again?

Lisa Genova has a PhD in Neuroscience, and as a nurse who has worked in neurology I find her books fascinating. Still Alice explores Alzheimers, and her newest book Love Anthony looks into autism. All of these are written about in a fascinating, tactful, engaging manner. Her writing is easy to read, and for me un-put-down-able. She explores difficult and complicated topics in an easy to read and easy to understand manner.

A: Almost Flawless!

Absolutely. Not too heavy on the medical, but just enough so you understand what’s going on. If you enjoy ‘journey’ books, this one’s for you!

Have you read Left Neglected? Have you read any of Lisa Genova’s other books? Let me know what you think in the comments!

So I will remember standing in the fresh-cut grass with the black-clad figures surrounded by stone until I do it for real. I will remember the funeral until it happens – until someone dies.

And after that, it will be forgotten.

Here’s the thing about me; I can see my future, but my past is blank.

I see the future in flashes, like memories. I remember what I’ll wear tomorrow, and a car crash that won’t happen til this afternoon. But yesterday has evaporated from my mind – just like the boy I love, I can’t see him in my future. I can’t remember him from my past. But today, I love him. And I never want to forget how much.

I totally wasn’t expecting to like this one as much as I did. I didn’t want it to end! I’m relatively new to young adult fiction (other than when I was in my early teens), and I’m pretty selective about what I read. This was a total winner!

I loved the ‘remember the future, forget the past’ idea, but was concerned that it wouldn’t be well written. Cat Patrick did an amazing job. I didn’t want the book to end – and to add insult to injury, I opened the second Cat Patrick book I had (Revived) and realised it wasn’t a sequel! Yeah, I didn’t research that one too well.

London Lane remembers days and years to come, but doesn’t know what happened yesterday. She writes things down, but things are starting to happen that she doesn’t remember. Like Luke. For some reason he’s completely new to her every day. So she writes herself more and more notes so she can remember him. Then she remembers a funeral… and starts to piece things together. Is this why she doesn’t remember him?

I haven’t described this very well – this is why Cat Patrick is the author of this amazing book and I’m not! I found this book really easy to read, very difficult to put down, and really well written. My only complaint was that it wasn’t long enough.

An original plot brilliantly executed with likable, relatable, believable characters.

Absolutely! A fun light read, a great way to pass a lazy afternoon or train trip.

Sent to investigate the disappearance of two little girls Camille finds herself reluctantly installed in the family mansion, reacquainting herself with her distant mother and a precocious thirteen-year-old half-sister she barely knows. Haunted by a family tragedy, troubled by the disquieting grip her young sister has on the town, Camille struggles with a familiar need to be accepted.

But as clues turn into dead ends Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims and releases: she will have to unravel the puzzle of her own past if she’s to survive this homecoming.

MY THOUGHTS

This one was written pre-Gone Girl, and I have to say, Flynn does not disappoint. Camille has returned to Wind Gap as a journalist, to write about the disappearance and murder of a little girl – reminiscent of what happened to her sister. This brings up many bad memories, that Camille has worked years to get over. She is covered in scars from self harm, that begin to burn and itch more the longer she is home.

Now, I have to say if you have history with self harm or family related issues, this may not be the book for you. It’s quite dark and touches on issues that are not altogether healthy.

I, however, found it hard to put down, intriguing and kinda like a car crash – just too hard to look away. I had to know what happens next. As with Gone Girl, there’s a few red herrings thrown in there, and I didn’t pick the outcome definitively. For me it was one of numerous possibilities, but still threw me at the end. Flynn’s mind is just bananas. I have no idea where she comes up with this stuff. But still. Very well written, inescapable, Maybe I’m disturbed, but I enjoyed it!

RECOMMEND?

If you enjoy a touch of the creepy? This goes beyond a touch. Way beyond.

This circus is amazing, surprising, magical, and a giant show developed as a competition between two magicians. Well, two magicians who aren’t aware they’re in competition. It’s brilliant. Erin Morgenstern has come up with an original idea that draws you into the atmosphere, trickery and amazement of Le Cirque Des Reves. I love the black and white with a touch of red theme of the circus, and the Reveurs who follow the circus around the globe. I felt it gave the circus a sense of the unexplained, the untouchable, the… inclusive to those only who come across it and join in.

I loved the magical element to this book, along with the mystery of the competition smouldering along in the background – IE it’s not mentioned or referred to often, but comes into play only when necessary. I felt included into the inner circle, and privy to the inner workings of this both exclusive and elusive adventure.

Now, I’ve never spent a lot of time reading fantasy, though I have been reading more of it of late. I love how seamlessly Morgenstern weaves the magical into the everyday. The Night Circus is well written, and I found myself lost within the circus. I didn’t want to stop reading! In fact, I think this is a book I’ll probably reread again soon. Loved it.

RECOMMEND?

If you like to indulge in a sense of the magical, with a hint of drama? Totally!